Came across an interesting educational implementation that combines the interactivity of an tablet-based app with the big screen delivery of educational content to captivate pre-school children.
ZooMoo has been available on StarHub Channel 306 from 1 April 2014, and will be free for 6 weeks. The app is available completely free on App Store and Google Play.
ZooMoo is an educational programme on StarHub Channel 306 that is “All about animals, all the time”.
ZooMoo will be presented to the public during AFCC 2014 in Singapore.Simply head to t the Plaza on Level 1 of the National Library Building for one of two sessions.
- 30 May 2014, 4:00pm – 4:30pm
- 1 Jun 2014, 12:30pm – 1:00pm
Targeted at children aged three to six, the programme uses a combination of puppets, high-production animation, narrative techniques and wildlife footage developed in collaboration with Wildlife Reserves Singapore.
The channel is designed to help children explore the animal world in ways that are entertaining, interactive and enriching.
Extending the ZooMoo experience
The free ZooMoo App is an interactive companion to the ZooMoo channel.
It is a unique second screen learning application that allows children to explore a world of animals and a range of educational content.
A rich diversity of habitats for children to explore.
The ZooMoo App synchronises with the channel using the tablet’s microphone to detect the programme’s unique audio signature.
This transforms ZooMoo from a channel into a gateway to the interactive world of ZooMoo Island.
Children learn how to care and look after each type of animal.
When the ZooMoo App is turned on, the channel sends original and complimentary content to the child’s tablet.
This content can be opened and explored at any time by the child and parent – whether the child is watching the channel of not.
Children can collect up to 300 animals in the ZooMoo app.
Here’s more information about the ZooMoo programme.
ZooMoo aims to inculcate the importance of conservation in future generations.
It provides a safe environment in which young minds are stimulated to develop knowledge, respect and affection for animals, so that they may play an active role in protecting our wildlife.
ZooMoo’s programming is built around a series of one-hour blocks, repeated throughout the broadcast day.
Each block is organised into five themed strands; Explore Time, Create Time, Play Time, Puzzle Time and Quiet Time.
ZooMoo’s educational experts have stressed that the consistency of this structure is critical for learning and skill-building in pre-schoolers.
To support its mission, ZooMoo’s creators have collaborated with world renowned early childhood educators from the University of Otago, New Zealand’s premier university:
- Professor Jeff Smith, A.B. (Princeton) Ph.D. (Chicago)
- Greg Carroll, DipTeaching, BEd, DipEdMan
- Helen Cartwright, BE (Early Childhood), DipTeaching (Early Childhood), Associate Teachers’ Diploma (Speech and Drama)
- Dr Carla Fisher, BA (Rochester), MA (New School Uni, New York), Ed.D (Columbia)
Input from these and other childhood education experts was central in the creative thinking behind ZooMoo from the beginning.
ZooMoo’s creators continue to meet with the ZooMoo Educational Advisory Panel regularly to discuss and review programming as it is being produced for the Channel and Application.
Tags: Android, animals, Apps, demo, education, iOS, Singapore, StarHub, tablets, ZooMoo